The picture above is of Aireyholme Farm, near Great Ayton, in North Yorkshire, not very far from where I grew up. It’s a typical farm, one of thousands dotted around the country, home to people quietly and unobtrusively going about their business of producing the food we all need to keep us alive.

Back in the 18th Century, this was where Mr. and Mrs. Cook lived. Actually, accounts vary as to whether this was their home or just Mr. Cook’s place of work. Whichever story is true, what we do know is that his son, James, grew up to be one of the world’s greatest explorers and navigators, and a fine astronomer, too. Today, North Yorkshire is festooned with monuments, relics and memories of the great man.

All across the land are family farms that have been home to generations of families who have been custodians of the land since before any of us were born. The local churchyards recall the ancestors of those who, in many cases, continue to farm the land to this day. Along with the village pub, these are the institutions that bestow a sense of history, identity, heritage and pride upon so many of Britain’s villages, and those are things that we stand to lose if we allow the heart to be ripped out of our rural communities by having them taxed out of existence.